Thinking of the Year

It's hard to avoid the sentimental, retrospective mood that always finds me on the last day of the year. I usually find myself looking around at people and details in my life as the year draws to a close, and on this day especially it almost feels like I'm living in time that has already passed, it seems to be flying by so quickly.

There are always distractions in daily life that keep this mood from swallowing me up, but on days like today I indulge and try extra hard to absorb what has been, what is, and what we hope will be.

I find myself ending the year with a sweet sorrow and a deep gratitude in my heart for all that 2014 held for us, and all that has passed... and of course, I'm also looking forward to what comes next. 

Wishing all a happy New Year.

The Playhouse Reveal

Our holiday gift to the kiddos this year was their own little place in our world- a playhouse/gingerbread house/gnome home (we still can't decide what to call it). We built it with our own hands (and help from our dads) and some piecemeal scraps and lumberyard supplements, and kinda made up and tweaked the design as we went along.

We initially looked up playhouse kits and priced pre-mades, thinking we'd find something out there that would work, but ultimately we decided we could probably make something better- and a little cheaper- and ya know what? We did, coming in at less than half the price of the lowest-end wooden 'fort' (score!).

I'm kinda proud of us, and I'm kinda in love with the final product!

So are the Littles.

Since we head out to our families' places for the official holiday days, we revealed the house to the kids the morning of Christmas Eve. Up until then it had been not-so-subtly cloaked in old bed sheets and tarps, visible from every rear window in the house. Thankfully our sweet babies were obedient and simply stayed away from it as they were asked while it was in progress and still a secret (I know, right?).

After breakfast Christmas Eve, I slipped out and pulled down the tarps, and then Daddy lead them out to finally see it.




They were a little timid at first, because we had spent so much time telling them to stay away from it (d'oh!) but once they figured out it was all theirs, they took it over.

I remember fondly all the playhouses I had when I was a kid, and hope they spend as many happy hours in theirs as my bro and I did in ours... or more!

Right Now :: A Happy Holiday

Our holiday has come and gone. There was much that went according to plan, and much that didn't. There were surprises, both exciting (like when the kiddos got to pass out their own handmades to their family) and a little upsetting (like when a 'Santa gift' was broken in the box), and I believe everyone ate too much and slept too little (just like you're supposed to do, right?).

As usual, there was a lot of work behind what was pulled off this week, and because of the efforts of the dedicated among us, our days of festivities were sparkly, full, and bright. With gratitude we enter in to the last few days of December, and though the celebrations are behind us we will still find things to celebrate in their afterglow.

Happy very last Monday of 2014!